Bookcase Becomes Wine Rack

Carter shows how to recycle an old bookcase into a wine rack. Find more ways to update your home with Carter Can.

Carter Can : Episode HCCAN-212 -- More Projects »
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One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so think again before throwing away an old piece of furniture like a bookcase. With some imagination you can sand it down, paint it, and add a few new pieces to turn it into an amazing and functional wine rack.

Materials:
old bookshelf (3-5 cubbies)
sheet of 1/2-inch MDF (medium density fiberboard)
solid birch, 20-feet of 1-1/2 inch
mahogany, 36-feet of 3/4 by 3/4 inch
mahogany, 8-feet of 1-1/2 by 3/4-inch
paint (any color)
wood glue
Paintbrush
hand planer
chop saw
table saw
2-inch screws
drill
tape measure
brad nailer
1-1/2 inch brad nails
2-1/2 inch cabinet screws
sander

Steps:

Note: Depending on the condition of the reclaimed bookshelf, some of these steps may not be necessary.

1. Remove backing of old bookshelf.

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Figure A
2. Strip off the existing paint with a planer or sander so you're starting with a smooth, clean surface (figure A).

3. Paint the bookshelf the desired color.

4. Now make the wine holders. Cut 12 strips out of the 3/4 by 3/4-inch mahogany, making each strip 11-1/2 inches long. This makes enough strips for three wine storage cubbies.

5. Cut a slight 47-degree angle on one end of each mahogany strip, leaving a 1/4-inch flat reveal on the end of the angle.

6. Cut 1 1/2" x 3/4" mahogany (verticals) into 14" long pieces. You will need two pieces per cubby of wine, so we had six strips total.

7. Attach one horizontal strip flush to the outside bottom side of two vertical strips with glue and 1-1/4 inch brad nails. Make sure the front and back are flush.

8. Attach one horizontal piece 4-inches above the bottom one. Attach the third horizontal piece 4-inches above the second piece.

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Figure B
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Figure C
9. Repeat this process on the opposite side of the vertical. Make two more verticals exactly the same way for a three-cubby wine rack (figure B).

10. Attach one horizontal piece flush to the bottom of the interior of the cubby with glue and 1-1/4 inch brad nails.

11. Attach another horizontal piece 4-inches from the top of the bottom piece. Attach a third horizontal piece 4-inches above the second piece.

12. Repeat this process so that all sides of the center cubbies have three horizontals (figure C). (For this project, we repeated this process on six sides.)

13. Attach the vertical strips 4-inches from one side of the cubby using glue and 1-1/2 inch brad nails. Nail from the top and bottom of the cubby. If the cubby is more than 9-inches wide, use additional vertical pieces and/or filler strips.

14. Cut 1-1/2 inch solid birch to the length of the top and bottom exterior ends of the bookshelf, and then paint the strips.

16. Attach top and bottom facing using glue and 1-1/2 inch brads.

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Figure D
17. Measure the spacing between top and bottom facing. Cut 1-1/2 inch solid birch to the length of the existing vertical dividers (not on the mahogany verticals). This project used five total.

18. Attach each strip between the top and bottom facing using glue and 1-1/2 inch brads (figure D).

19. Cut the sheet of 1/2-inch MDF to the exterior dimensions of the bookcase for the backing, and attach it using 2-inch screws.

20. Secure the rack through the studs in the wall using 2-1/2 inch cabinet screws.

Also in this Episode
Carter Can : Episode HCCAN-212
•Green Solution: Reclaimed Materials
•Bookcase Becomes Wine Rack
•Economical Kitchen Cabinet Update